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Khayman
Khayman was one of the oldest vampires at nearly 6,000 years old, he appears in very few of the books in the series, but was nevertheless considered a powerful force among their number. Khayman is the second vampire made by Queen Akasha. Biography Early Life As relayed during the history of the vampires related in The Queen of the Damned. Khayman was an Egyptian who was the chief steward in the palace of King Enkil and Queen Akasha of Kemet (now Egypt) circa 4000 BCE. He was tall and strong as a mortal, with very tan skin, dark eyes, and black hair. After being transformed into a vampire, his skin whitened and smoothed considerably. As head steward to the King and Queen, Khayman was forced to rape the twin witches Maharet and Mekare after the witches incurred Akasha's wrath. Gentle and kind by nature, Khayman was horrified to do so, but was unable to refuse the Queen's command, lest it meant the death of the twins and himself. From his rape he unintentionally fathered a child with Maharet, named Miriam, who began the bloodline of Maharet's "Great Family" that would later spread to every nation on Earth. When Akasha and Enkil become vampires, they made Khayman bring Maharet and Mekare back into Egypt to find out how their insatiable bloodlust can be mitigated. Maharet replies that the evil spirit Amel now inhabiting the Queen is too large to be contained in her singular body. Only when more vampires are made will the spirit will be diluted and the bloodlust will become tolerable. Life as a vampire Akasha betrays Khayman's loyalty by forcibly turning him into a vampire against his will, to verify the witches' claims. Angry at what he has become, Khayman secretly makes the twin witches into vampires in hope that one day they will rise against Akasha and defeat her. Khayman afterwards makes other vampires to fight against Akasha and Enkil, who now present themselves as the gods Isis and Osiris. His "treason" results in a great increase of the vampire population, creating the vampire army to fight in the vampire wars that he dreamed of. Eventually Akasha and Enkil would remain in a trancelike state for almost 4,000 years. Khayman survives into the twentieth century, ultimately forgetting his own origins during his wanderings. When Akasha is awakened from her trance in the 1980s, she rises and drains Enkil completely of his blood, as he has reached a point of lassitude from which he will never reawaken, and begins tracking down and killing her vampire progeny worldwide. Khayman encounters her by chance in Greece and, in that instant, he suddenly remembers how he became a vampire and what crimes he had perpetrated in Akasha's name. Discovering that he is immune to her attacks, Khayman follows her to San Francisco to attend Lestat's rock concert. Since Khayman has been studied by the Talamasca under the name 'Benjamin the Devil', he recognizes David Talbot and Aaron Lightner at Lestat's concert. He tells them who he is and warns them to leave because of the mounting danger for them there. He sees the vampires Mael and Armand, the latter to whom he is strongly attracted, although Armand offers no friendly gestures in return. Khayman advises Mael to shield his thoughts from Akasha, since Akasha can find and kill her vampire progeny through mind-reading. While Akasha slaughters most of her vampire children worldwide, Khayman accompanies Louis and Gabrielle to Maharet's house in Sonoma as one of the 13 surviving vampires who plan to stand against Akasha in The Queen of the Damned. Here he indicates several times that he believes in Mekare's prophecy of Akasha's doom, and awaits Mekare's coming as he conspires against his former queen. After Akasha is finally destroyed, Khayman becomes the oldest vampire in existence. He is briefly mentioned at the end of Blood Canticle, when he takes away the fledgling vampires Quinn Blackwood and Mona Mayfair to Maharet and Mekare's sanctuary. Personality Khayman was generally gentle, optimistic, and friendly, inviting mortals to his rooms and entertaining them with poetry, music and conversation, although he sometimes appeard somewhat lonely or even shy. Although powerful, he disliked wanton brutality. He lives by various guises in many different places, and when he stoped having fun or feels pain, he fades out and forgets who he has been. Attempts to think back to his origins are painful, and so he avoids doing so, eventually forgetting entirely. Powers & Abilities *'Innate Understanding' - Khayman has the astute understanding of mechanisms at a mere glance. He understands everything in a machine he sees operating, even down to the level of quantum physics. With this gift, he is aware that the vampiric blood inside him gradually works to change the once human flesh in a vampire body into a new preternatural substance that resembles white stone, causing vampires to appear as living statues as they age. Child of the Millennia Abilities *'Resilience to Daylight '- Being thousands of years old as one of the first vampires, Khayman's flesh is hard, smooth and white as marble, providing great protection from direct sunlight that would otherwise instantly burn and kill younger vampires. *'Bloodlust Immunity' - He no longer experiences the blood thirst but enjoys the refreshment and clarity it provides. *'The Fire Gift' - The first time time Khayman used the Fire Gift, he accidentally ignited the combustable blood of other young vampires who feared him, sensing he was a Child of the Millennia. *'The Mind Gift' - A pairing of telekinesis and telepathy. Khayman can move objects and read the minds of mortals and vampires weaker than him, as well as shield his own mind from being read. Image Gallery Category:Vampires Category:Male Characters Category:Characters in The Queen of the Damned Category:Characters in Prince Lestat